Explosive for use in blasting caps



Patented Nov. 13, 1923.

' rec.

JQHN MARSHLL. OF SWARTHMORE. PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO I. DU FONT DENEMOURS 8: COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON. DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

EXPLOSIVE FOR USE IN BLASTING CAPS.

No Drawin g.

To all whom it may concern..-

.Be it known that I. Join Blxusinua a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Swarthrnore, in thescounty of Delaware and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a certain new. and useful Explosive for l'sein Blasting Caps, of which the following: is a s ecification.

his invention relates to explosive mate rials and particularly to thecharge to be inserted in blasting caps for the PUPPOFG of ex loding maincharges of high explosives.

lasting caps in the past have been made with a primer charge of mercuryfulminate or of lead azide. and with a secondary charge of T.N.T., ortetranitromethyl-aniline (tetryl), tetranitroaniline.(T.N.A.),or similarsubstances. and have also been made with mixtures of the primingmaterials and the secondary charge. In general, the materials used asthe secondary charge have been expensive to manufacture, being dependenton relatively expensive. raw materials.

The object of my invention is to provide an ex losive substance, suitedfor use as a seconc ary charge in blasting caps and for use in primersof, other types, which can be pre pared from raw materials of arelatively inexpensive nature. a

I have discovered that an explosive sub stance which isadmirably suitedfor use in blasting caps may be produced by elfecting a reaction betweensuch relatively inexpensive raw materials as oxides of. nitrogen andolefines such as ethylene, propylene, etc.

The process of making the new explosive ingredients may be illustratedby the Following example I Nitrogen sesquioxide (N 0,) and ethylene areled simultaneously into an inert solvent, for example, diethyl ether,maintained preferabl at a temperature between 5 and 20 C. no of theproducts of the reaction between the ethylene and the nitrogenseequioxide precipitates from the ethereal solu tion in the form of acrystalline solid, which is filtered oil and dried; this crystallinesolid melts at ill-117 C. and contains from 26 per cent to 26.9 per centof nitrogen.

In place of ethylene in the above example, other unsaturatedhydrocarbons of the ethylene series,.such as propylene, may be used; andinstead of nitrogen sesquioxide alone a mixture of nitrogen sesquioxidewith other nitrogen oxides may be used.

Application filed October 5, 1921.

Serial No. 505,599.

I have. reason to believe that the corn pounds ol which the specificallydescribed productof the above example is typical are the bi-molecularpseiulo-nitrosites; that is, they contain in the molecular complex, two

molecules of the nitro .B-nitroso paraffinhydrocarbou. linked togetherthrough the nitroso groups. llowever. I wish it to be clearly understoodthat I do not confine myself to the structural formula thus described,but wish to cover as a part of my invention the solid product resultingfrom the interaction of nitrogen sesquioxide and an oleline hydrocarbonin a suitable solvent. For the sake of brevity. I use the termpseudouitrositc," in describing my invention throughout thisapplication, to mean compounds composed of two molecules of the nitrobeta nitroso paratline hydrocarbon linked together thru the nitrosogroups.

A blasting cap made in accordance with my invention may contain anybi-molecular psciulo-nitrositc as above described; for we ample, fromethylene is obtained a compound (a pseudo-nitrosite) of the followingprobable structure:

inccn,uo,

u o rial Hzd-CII=NO= and from a propylene, the following:

I I (-HC-CH2NO The general structural formula for this class ofsubstances may probably be written as follows:

n-uc-cumog El n iu crnuor where R represents a hydrogen or alkylradical.

The bi-uiolecular ethylene pseudo'nitrosite. for example, furnishes,when associated with a suitable primer, :1 very powerful cap charge orcomposition. Thus 0.4 to 1.0 gram of the ethylene pseudo-nitrosite, theamount depending on the grade of blasting cap desired, may be pressedinto the copper shell of the blasting cap in the usual manner, and ontop of this is pressed a priming charge consisting of about 0.5 ramfulminate of mercury. lnst ad of p acing the ethylene pseudomitrositeand the fulminate of mercury in separate layers, they may be mixedtogether, equal proportions by weight, for example. of each of the twomaterials being used. There is produced in this way a very powerfulblasting cap, which when ignited by safety fuse or by electrical meansor otherwise provides an exceedingly efficient means for detonatingdynamite or other high explosive.

While I have described my invention above in detail. l wish it to beunderstood that many changes may be made without de arting from thespirit of the invention.

claim:

1. An explosive charge comprising the normally solid product obtainableby iteraction between an olefine hydrocarbon and nitrogen sesquioxideand having probably the following general formula:-

R-Ho-cnmm n-nd-cn o,

where R represents a hydrogen or alkyl radical.

' lowing general formula 3. 'An explosive charge comprising the normallysolid product obtainable by interaction between an olefine and nitrogensesquioxide and having probably the following general formula z' n-nl'cn-,t\'o, where R represents a hydrogen radical or an alkyl radicalhaving from 1 to 4 carbon atoms.

4. A detonator composition comprising a primary detonating compound anda bimolecular alkylene pseudo-nitrositc.

A detonator composition comprising a primary detonating compound and abimolecular ethylene psedo-nitrosite.

6. A blasting cap charge comprising mercury fulminate and a bi-molecularalkylene pseudonitrosite obtainable by interaction between an olefinehydrocarbon and nitrogen sesquioxide.

7. A blasting cap charge comprising mercury fulmmate and a bi-molecularethylene pseudo-nitrosite obtainable by interaction between ethylene andnitrogen sesquioxide.

8. A blasting cap charge comprising 1 part of mercury fulminate and fromabout 0.8 to 2 parts of the normally solid product obtainable byinteraction of ethylene and nitrogen sesquioxide in the presence ofliquid gliethyl ether, said normally solid product melting at 114417 C.and containing 26.9% of nitrogen.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOHN MARSHALL.

